The Thursday Speeches: Lessons in Life, Leadership, and Football from Coach Don James

by Peter G. Tormey

Overview

The Thursday Speeches contains the compelling pregame speeches, packed with inspiring stories and invaluable life lessons, that Coach Don James used to transform the University of Washington football program from obscurity to the national championship during his legendary 18-year UW career.

Two days before Christmas 1974, Don James seized the reins of a Washington football program in disarray. Immediately, James challenged players to do the hard work necessary to get to the Rose Bowl. Some players laughed, reminding James that Washington hadn't been to the Rose Bowl since 1963. James insisted on his vision. In his third season, the Huskies advanced to the Rose Bowl and – led by future Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Warren Moon – beat the heavily favored Michigan Wolverines.

As but one measure of his coaching skill, Sports Illustrated once named the three best college football coaches in the country: No. 1, Don James; No. 2, Don James; No. 3, Don James.

A member of the College Football Hall of Fame, the Husky Hall of Fame, and twice named National Coach of the Year, James remains the most successful football coach in Washington and the Pacific-12 Conference history. President of the American Football Coaches Association in 1989, James compiled a record of 153-57-2 at Washington and led the Huskies to 15 bowl games (10-5) including nine straight from 1979-1987. He guided the Huskies to six Rose Bowls and is one of only four coaches to win four Rose Bowl games. His 1991 team finished the season 12-0, beat Michigan in the Rose Bowl, and was named National Champion by USA Today/CNN, UPI, the Football Writers, Sports Illustrated, and several computer rankings.

Written by Peter Tormey, Ph.D., a three-year UW letterman linebacker for James (1976-1979), The Thursday Speeches puts readers in the room with the legendary coach, revealing the exact words James used to inspire the Huskies to slay the football giants of his day. The book, which also contains new insights into James’ leadership, is organized into four sections:

Part I: Getting to the Rose Bowl.

Part II: Themes of the Thursday Speeches
Attitude
Life Lessons
Competitive Greatness
Visualizing Victory

PART III: Glimmers – Short essays derived from interviews with Coach James.

PART IV: A Lasting Legacy – Tributes to Coach James’ influence from Coach Gary Pinkel, University of Missouri; Coach Nick Saban, University of Alabama; Sam Wick, friend; Jeffrey James, grandson; James’ pastor, Rev. Jerry Mitchell; and Jill Woodruff, one of James’ three children.

The book stems from Tormey’s doctoral research in Leadership Studies (Gonzaga University). James wrote the speeches before practice each Wednesday, by longhand, on 11-by-14-inch yellow legal pads.

Exhibiting a voracious appetite for reading and an expansive intellect, James uses a wide range of powerful stories to engage the Huskies including topics such as Freud and Frankl, the Cheshire Cat in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, the benefits of suffering, the importance of attitude, the key to problem-solving, the true meaning of fun. He fashions speeches around figures such as George Washington Carver, Benjamin Franklin, Julius Caesar, Vince Lombardi, and Helen Keller, and many others.

James’ transformation of the UW program proves what scholars have theorized: Leaders skilled with language have the power to literally speak things into being.

Raised in Massillon, Ohio, James became a record-setting quarterback for the University of Miami Hurricanes. He was an assistant coach at Florida State, Michigan, and Colorado before becoming head coach at Kent State and Washington.

James succumbed to pancreatic cancer on Oct. 20, 2013 at age 80. A portion of the proceeds from the book will be contributed to the UW’s Don James Football Endowment Fund to provide scholarship assistance to student-athletes who participate in the Husky football program.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940046449419
Publisher:	Peter G. Tormey
Publication date:	11/29/2014
Sold by:	Smashwords
Format:	eBook
Sales rank:	998,965
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Peter Tormey is a writer, Indie author, and educator who holds a Ph.D. in Leadership Studies from Gonzaga University. A former journalist for United Press International, he has won numerous awards for his news and feature stories. Peter's doctoral dissertation examined the language and leadership of former University of Washington football Coach Don James. Peter played for Coach James for four years at Washington, and earned a bachelor's degree in English literature. Peter's book "The Thursday Speeches: Lessons in Life, Leadership, and Football" demonstrates how James used language to slay the football giants of his day and to transform a program from mediocrity to the pinnacle of American college football. A first-generation Irish-American, Peter directs the Gonzaga University News Service, which he started more than 20 years ago. Peter is an avid cyclist and loves to fish the lakes, rivers, and streams of the Pacific Northwest. He and his wife life in Spokane, Washington, with their two daughters, a son, and a dog.

Table of Contents

Introduction
The Thursday Speeches
The Power of Language in Leadership
The Final 48 Hours
James' Rx for the Huskies' Success

PART I: GETTING TO THE ROSE BOWL
1975
Setting Goals, Changing Attitudes
James' Bowl-Season Philosophy Blows Huskies' Minds
James-led Huskies Debut vs. Arizona State- September 11, 1975
Next Up: The Texas Longhorns and Earl Campbell- September 18, 1975
Clear Goals and the Story of the Cheshire Cat-September 25, 1975
The Pyramid of Objectives Offers Roadmap to Success
Chart of Pyramid of Objectives
Suffering Brings Endurance, Endurance Fosters Character-October 2, 1975
The Tide Rolls and Changes Everything
Another Loss Steels James' Resolve-October 23, 1975
From Misdirection, Huskies Find Success

1976
An Eye-Opener for a Freshman from Spokane
A Sense of Certain Success
'Whatever It Takes, We Must Do'-September 23, 1976
James Introduces 'Possibility Thinking'-October 7, 1976
Tale of the Tiger Cage-October 14, 1976
The Tiger Cage Principle
Good Things Happen to Big-Thinking People
On Freud, Frankl and Faith-November 4, 1976
Hopelessly Insane?
Competitive Greatness-November 11, 1976

1977
The Season Begins: A Focus on Mental Preparation-September 8, 1977
'I Feel This Great Urge, I Feel This Great Need to Compete!'-September 15, 1977
'Thick Skin' and 'Get It Going'-October 6, 1977
Let's Turn the Stanford Game into a 'Classic ...'-October 13, 1977
'As a Man Thinketh, So Is He'-October 20, 1977
'The Need to Win' at No. 17 California-November 3, 1977
We Know Who Wins Big Games-November 10, 1977
Apple Cup, 1977: One Final Step to the Rose Bowl-November 17, 1977
Rose Bowl Triumph

PART II: THEMES OF THE THURSDAY SPEECHES
ATTITUDE
Introduction
Two Men Looked out from Prison Bars; One Saw Mud, the Other Saw Stars-October 25, 1979
An Attitude that Victory Will Be Difficult-October 3, 1985
Concentration and an Old-Fashioned Battle-October 10, 1985
An Attitude of Mental Toughness, Never Quitting-November 14, 1985
An Attitude of Vengeance-September 18, 1986
Be Like Caesar's Invading Army-September 25, 1986
An 'I'll Win It Myself' Attitude-October 26, 1989

LIFE LESSONS
Introduction
George Washington Carver Says 'Start Where You Are'-November 2, 1978
Ingenuity a Key to Problem-Solving-October 16, 1980
The True Meaning of Fun-November 12, 1981
Putting Problems in Perspective-November 3, 1983
Benjamin Franklin and Virtues for Success-November 1, 1984
The Harder We Work, the Luckier We Get-October 2, 1986
'Faith is Knocking Down the High Bar'-September 24, 1987
Wisdom from Vince Lombardi and Helen Keller-October 8, 1987

COMPETITIVE GREATNESS
The Dynamics of a Winner-October 4, 1979
Competition Brings out the Best-October 11, 1979
'You Don't Beat the Trojans with Finesse'-November 13, 1980
'Net Genius at Work, Not Madman'-September 17, 1981
Eight Points of Being a Better Competitor-September 16, 1982
Battles Must Be Won to Get a Chance to Win War-November 8, 1984
Why Motivate?-September 19, 1985
'20 Questions'-September 15, 1988
A 'Team-Building Exercise'-September 14, 1989
A Turning Point in Huskies' Competitiveness-September 20, 1990
Hoist the Black Flag, and Begin Slitting Throats-October 4, 1990

VISUALIZING VICTORY
Introduction
Preparing to Ground Air Force-September 11, 1980
The Final 48 Hours Must Improve Performance-November 3, 1988

PART III: GLIMMERS
Military Discipline Makes an Impression
Learning from Legends
To Michigan, Then Colorado
A Chance to Be Head Coach
The Leader as Role Model
James' 'Winning Edge': The Kicking Game
Not One for Beer with the Guys
Coaches Are Teachers
All Ideas Sought, Valued
Creativity a Hallmark of James' Career
Innovation Powers Huskies to Orange Bowl Victory

PART IV: A LASTING LEGACY

Editorial Reviews

'Pete Has Nailed' Essence of Coach James' Speeches
All of you who may be intrigued by The Thursday Speeches, having heard 18 years worth of those from Coach James as an assistant at two different universities (at least 200 speeches with bowl games), I can honestly attest to the fact that Pete has nailed these in this book. I appreciate the many great principles and life lessons that he shares from those "Thursday Speeches." I speak to many businesses and organizations around the country about "Winning, Losing and Lessons Learned," and the meat and potatoes comes from all those years of learning from Coach James! - Skip Hall, former head football coach at Boise State University, assistant head coach at University of Washington and University of Missouri, and assistant coach at Colorado and Kent State.

'This Book Is So Don James . . . a Great Coach and Teacher Until His Last Breath'
This book is so Don James. He was a great coach and teacher until his last breath and passed his legacy on to every coach and player he touched. His attention to detail and commitment to excellence are here on these pages and continue to inspire those who had the good fortune to work with him, coach with him, play under him, or just be lucky enough to be a fan in his stands on game day. Thank you, Don, we love you! - Rick Redman, Seattle, former Husky All-American linebacker.

Joe Steele: Book Reveals Secrets of 'The Master'
"Husky football fans will want to read Peter Tormey's book for the behind-the-scenes thinking that went into development of the program from the mid-1970s, to the '80s and early '90s. The Thursday Speeches reveals the 'secret sauce' that DJ used to resuscitate the program and power the Huskies to the National Championship. Aspiring coaches at all levels should read the book to learn from 'The Master' about leadership, commitment to success, organization, teamwork, player discipline, and how to get the most from players' talent." - Joe Steele, former Husky record-breaking tailback.

From the Publisher